The 20th Annual Original Golden Opportunity Contest 2008

CATEGORIES AND FINAL ROUND JUDGES
Contemporary Series Romance: Brenda Chin, Harlequin
Contemporary Single Title Romance: Margo Lipschultz, HQN (Harlequin)
Romantic Suspense: Megan McKeever, Pocket Books
Historical Romance: Leis Pederson, Berkley
Young Adult: Lexa Hillyer, Razorbill (Penguin)
Paranormal, Fantasy, Futuristic: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing
Romantic Elements/Chick Lit: Katie Gilligan, Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martins Press)

GOLD TICKET GRAND PRIZE: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency

Don't miss this chance to reach your target market and impress an editor with your first chapter and synopsis. Enter the 20th annual TRW Original Golden Opportunity Contest. Many prior years' finalists have received requests from editors judging the final round.

Whether or not you make the final round, you'll receive valuable written comments from the first round judges - published authors and experienced critiquers - in time to revise before the Golden Heart deadline.

**NEW THIS YEAR** The first place finisher in each category will be entered in the Gold Ticket competition, judged by Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency. The Gold Ticket prize package includes a flash drive and a three chapter critique from NYT bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

NEW DEADLINE:
Postmark Deadline: May 31, 2008 (No SASE required)
Electronic Submissions: May 31, 2008 11:59 pm EST

FEE:
$30 USD or CAD for non-TRW members
$25 for TRW members
We accept Paypal!

MEMBERS, USE THE BUTTON BELOW:

NON-MEMBERS, USE THE BUTTON BELOW:

JUDGES:
First Round: Experienced and trained
Final Round: Editors from major publishing houses
Gold Ticket: Kristen Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency
See the downloadable score sheet for more detail

RULES:
The TRW Original Golden Opportunity Contest is open to all unpublished writers (whether or not a member of RWA) and any member of RWA who is not eligible to join RWA-PAN. Manuscripts entered may not have been previously published in any form, or be contracted to be published in any form, as of the date of entry, even if the materials have been revised since publication. Please see the RWA website regarding PAN eligibility rules. 

Entries for all categories should be from manuscripts with a “novel length” projected word count. Romance novels vary in length, but are generally between 50,000-100,000 words, depending on the sub-genre. If entering in the contemporary series category, please refer to the Harlequin website to determine the appropriate word count for your targeted series line. The sensuality in the entry may vary from sweet to spicy, but should be appropriate for the target market. 

Previous winning manuscripts in the Golden Opportunity Contest are NOT eligible, even in an edited format. However, these authors are eligible to enter new or different manuscripts. 

For more details, see the downloadable rules.